Chapter Ten: School Ends and The Consultation
June 6th, 1992
After the fiasco with the Philosopher's Stone, life at Hogwarts became a bit more normal. The conversation with Dumbledore after Harry woke up had given him some comfort — apparently, the stone that had been kept at the school was an inferior copy, not the original. Uncle Herbert had been there when they conversed, and when Harry's question about why Voldemort wanted him dead was about to be evaded, Herbert spoke first. "There's a prophecy he heard, and instead of choosing Neville or one of your cousins, he chose you. I don't know what it says, aside from it being about a child born at the end of July."
After the conversation had ended, Harry had been allowed to leave the Hospital Wing. Defense had gotten to be a more barable with the substitute — one John Dawlish — that had been hired until the end of the school year. Harry had a few of the older students paying him more attention, and he was reminded of what Dumbledore had said: "What happened with Quirrell is a complete secret — and by that, I mean the whole school knows. Don't be surprised if more people try getting close to you because of this."
Harry had of course, had taken that to heart. Because of his cousins, most first year Eagles and Badgers treated him like a person, much like his fellow Lions did. The older students of his cousins' school houses were a mixed bag, but some of them didn't seem to want to kiss up to him, and that was a relief. Then of course, there were the Snakes — who some seemed to outright hate him, while others looked at him with mild curiosity.
Ron's birthday had come and gone, and the year-end feast had named Gryffindor the winner of the House Cup, with Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tied for second, leaving Slytherin in last. After everything was packed, Harry met his friends and cousins at the thestral-drawn carriages. When he and his cousins pet one of them, Hermione spoke "What are you doing patting the air like that?"
With a sigh, Harry explained. "Right. You guys can't see them. You haven't seen a person close to you die and be old enough to comprehend it. Suffice to say, most students here aren't able to see them until much later in life."
The ride to the train station was a bit awkward until Ron spoke. "If you don't mind sharing, who was it you three saw die?"
The three Potters looked between each other for a moment until they seemed to agree on something. Vince spoke. "Aunt Pandora, Luna's mum. It's almost been two years, but it's not any easier. I'm just glad that no matter if Luna's an Eagle, Lion, or Badger, she'll be looked out for by one of us."
With the heavy topic out of the way, chatting became a bit easier. For Harry's part, he was just glad that he could keep himself composed around Hermione. He was aware that he had a crush on her, and when asking for advice from Uncle Herbert he got only one suggestion: "Don't start dating until you're fourteen. If you still feel the same about her by then, ask her to the first Hogsmede weekend you can. Of course, the two of you might just go back to being friends, but you'll never know if you don't try."
On the train ride home Harry locked the compartment that his friends and cousins were in and activated the privacy rune etched on the door. His friends were a bit confused, but Kathy seemed to know what Harry was doing. "Are you sure you want to tell them, Harry? You know most would judge you for your gift."
Neville quirked an eyebrow. "Gift? What's she talking about?"
Bracing himself, Harry spoke with a bit of trepidation. "I'm a parselmouth. Nobody else in my family has had this gift before, so I'm guessing that I got the ability when the Dark Loser fell."
Hermione touched Harry's arm gently. "It's great that you're trusting us with this, Harry. The gift has been used by dark wizards and light wizards alike, so you don't have to worry about the gift 'corrupting' you."
Harry smiled with appreciation as Neville and Ron echoed her sentiment. He wasn't sure if any of his other friends would be so understanding, so he made the ones he told promise to keep it to themselves. The rest of the trip went smoothly, and he promised to keep in touch with his friends over the summer. He shook hands with Ron and hugged Hermione before he left — the latter action causing his heart to flutter a bit. Vexus and Aunt Ceres were there to pick them up, seeing as Uncle Herbert was grading OWLs and NEWTs. With a pair of pops, the five were gone.
June 13th, 1992
During the past week, Harry had been checked over by several specialists in St. Mungo's to see if there was anything that could be done about the dark magic in Harry's scar. Unfortunately, the closest they got was somebody saying that no wizard or witch could feasibly remove it without hurting Harry. And so with that in mind, Uncle Herbert took Harry to the goblins. He spoke to one of the tellers. "As a friend of the goblin nation, I humbly request access to a goblin healer for my nephew."
With a perplexed look on his face, the teller obliged. A male goblin with polighed white armor soon approached, and led Herbert and Harry to a secluded area. The path there was too complex for Harry to remember. The goblin spoke once they entered a room that vaguely looked like a doctor's office. "I am healer Toughgrit. Friend Herbert Potter, please state your reason for your visit."
After a breath, Herbert replied. "My nephew's scar is infected with dark magic — the foulest I've ever seen. No healer of wizardkind could remove the dark magic without harming my nephew, so we have come to you. Anything you can tell us about it would be most appreciated."
Toughgrit gave a small nod before using his goblin magic to scan the scar. After a minute or two, his magic glowed an ominous black and his eyes went wide. Cutting off the spell after muttering in goblintounge, Toughgrit had a somber look on his face as he addressed Herbert. "The magic in his scar is what you wizards would call a horcrux - or in simple terms, a soul anchor. None of the usual methods of destroying them would allow him to live." His expression then changed to be a bit more cheerful. "The good news is that this one is currently fading because of the blood protection on young Harry. My guess is that by the time he turns seventeen the horcrux will expire on its own. Of course, theoretically it could expire earlier, but even we don't know how."
Harry bowed his head slightly. "Thank you, Toughgrit. It's too bad that you have no way to remove it yourself that would be safe for me, but I appreciate your effort. May your coffers overflow with your patients' gold." After Herbert insisted on paying the fee for consultation, the duo went back home for the day.
Author's Note: Alright, there's the end of Year One. Yes, Harry is a horcrux - but the blood protection will safely destroy it and leave Harry alive. As to whether I'll wait until Year Seven to destroy it, well... I'll keep you guessing for now.
